Members of Congress Heading for Border to Witness Child Migrant Crisis

Goodlatte is taking a bipartisan delegation to the border next week to witness the child migrant crisis. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The surge of unaccompanied immigrant children illegally crossing the southern border is drawing House lawmakers to the region for fact-finding visits during the July Fourth recess week.

Judiciary Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte, R-Va., a former immigration lawyer whose panel just convened a hearing on the issue, will lead a bipartisan group on a trip to the Rio Grande Valley sector of the U.S.-Mexico border next week.

“Word has spread around the world about the Obama Administration’s lax immigration enforcement and administration legalization programs and it has encouraged thousands of children, teenagers, and families from Central America to come to the United States illegally and take advantage of this situation,” Goodlatte said in a statement announcing his upcoming visit. “Law enforcement officials who testified at the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week state that this surge shows no signs of stopping.”

The group plans to tour federal facilities Wednesday and Thursday and participate in briefings with officials from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as from officials with the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

“Members of the House Judiciary Committee traveling to the border will meet with those dealing with this problem firsthand,” Goodlatte continued, “so that we can determine how to stop this border crisis.”

Another Democrat who wants bipartisan participation in forming a Congressional response is Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who on Saturday will join the first lady of Honduras and Honduran Ambassador Jorge Milla Reyes in touring the border patrol facility in McAllen and the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio that is currently housing unaccompanied minors who were attempting to cross the border into the United States.

Texas Republican Kay Granger, appointed by Boehner to head up a House GOP working group, which also includes Goodlatte, will be participating alongside Cuellar.

with luck they will all catch a really good disease, parasites will avoid them (professional courtesy) since they are all child traffickers, they will not care about the children that were killed, raped, and maimed for their political gain.

YONATAN C

The Republican & Democratic parties both have failed the three million unemployed workers without an extension bill since late last December. These families have fallen deeper into financial ruin and deep poverty, over the past six months, waiting for the senate to pass the extension bill. While billions of tax payer dollars have been approves for the Ukraine, and the defense of Europe, no action has been taken to pass the extension bill in the senate. The republicans spent more energy and focus on getting the Koch brothers oil pipeline passed, then they did with any other bill to help average Americans in need. They have proven themselves to be a party lacking in both compassion, and common decency. These millions of families have lost everything while waiting for the government to help them.

antonio passerini

I think that Unaccompanied immigrant childrens are complex challenge we cannot overlook. Insisting that the country should never lose focus on humanity. Frequently child migrants are the dream weavers among us and we should not shatter their dreams but we should help them realise these dreams and allow them to be children. Our responsibility is to ensure that children enjoy life…we should not kill their hopes but we should commit ourselves to provide care and protection and ensure that their dreams, hopes and desires come true.When children and youth arrive, they feel disorientated and confused and we must be more cultural sensitive. No matter what they go through to survive, they remain children. We know that they possibly were exposed to abuse and suffering and my hope is to have a country which gives new hope to migrant children. I suggest you about Unaccompanied Minors http://minoristranierinonaccompagnati.blogspot.it/

Yonatan YONATAN

IT’S NOW WAY PAST THE TIME FOR THE SENATE TO QUICKLY PASS THE UNEMPLOYMENT EXTENSION BILL, FOR THE THREE MILLION UNEMPLOYED FAMILIES WITHOUT BENEFITS SINCE LATE LAST DECEMBER. FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS WHILE THE REPUBLICANS PLAYED PARTY POLITICS IN THE SENATE, THESE MILLIONS OF FAMILIES HAVE FALLEN DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO FINANCIAL RUIN AND DEBT. THEY NEED IMMEDIATE HELP. IF THE REPUBLICANS CAN FIGHT TO GET THE KOCH BROTHERS OIL PIPELINE BILL PASSED, THEY SHOULD ALSO CARE ENOUGH FOR THE COMMON MAN TO GET THEIR BILL PASSED TOO.

Sam Oiocha

Although our vast modern civilization is a relatively recent development made possible by moral standards, ideas, and institutions, our ancient ancestors’ primitive instincts remain within us.

Bundle Up

Those who preach from collectivism’s altar tend to claim that private property is the source of human discontent because they believe it empowers certain people against others.